A third-round NCAA tournament match that lasted too long for Hawaii on Friday ended its volleyball season too soon.

At home the first two weeks for the first time in eight years, and playing before a sold-out Stan Sheriff Center crowd, the 10th-seeded Rainbow Wahine were two points from winning the second set against seventh-seeded Southern California. Five times.

In the fourth set, they were two points from winning the match.

And, after what would be the final surge of a season defined by them, the Wahine would end up three points short in the fifth set.

"We played our best match of the year," UH coach Dave Shoji said. "The overall quality of play from start to finish … I thought we were in every single play. Really, that’s all you can ask."

Ultimately, the 31-2 Wahine won nearly every matchup with the much taller Trojans but one. "The most important one," Shoji lamented. "Alex Jupiter."

Hawaii handled the Trojans’ 6-foot-3 All-American early. In the first set and a half, Jupiter had three kills and seven errors. She hit .430 the rest of the night, finishing with a career-high 33 kills and 26 digs.

It was enough, just barely, to hold off Kanani Danielson (21 kills and a career-high 23 digs), Jane Croson (career highs of 25 kills and 23 digs), Brittany Hewitt (11 blocks) and the nine other Wahine who Shoji sent at USC.

Each provided a spark. Senior Alex Griffiths’ feel-good career closed with nine digs, many spectacular. Chanteal Satele’s sweet homecoming ended with 12 kills —she was error-free until the fourth set — and six stuffs.

Danielson’s remarkable career closed with her second straight 20-20 performance, and 20-plus words of Kanani wisdom about what it is like to live in the Wahine’s unique top-10 volleyball world, and where her teammates are headed.

"USC pushed us to the best I’ve seen our team play," the three-time All-American said. "It’s amazing what a small team can do when it is trying really hard. Unfortunately for us, USC’s tall people in the front row don’t have to work as hard to jump. For us, if we miss our assignment, the ball is going straight down or we have to work extra hard to play defense.

"We were out-matched pretty much with height. We had to dig deep. No matter what went on we had to make a play. I thought my teammates did a wonderful job hanging in there. Jane Croson is just out of high school. She did a nice job of hanging in when it mattered. And Mita (Uiato), it was her first year to come out to set … no matter how big this team was, they were ready."

It still wasn’t enough, for Hawaii and its smitten fans. They fed on their team’s relentless energy to create an atmosphere Pepperdine coach Nina Matthies described as "incredible." USC’s Mick Haley actually thanked UH for the opportunity to play here.

Shoji thanked his team for its hard work, particularly when it mattered most.

"I really enjoyed the last month," he said. "Despite our record, we had some issues, off-the-court chemistry kinds of things. We struggled with our game and people struggled with their own game.

"I thought the team just forgot all the personal things and came together as a team in the last month. That was really nice. And kids who rarely got to play didn’t have an attitude and played great every day and brought energy to the gym. That was really refreshing."

Danielson, Satele and Griffiths, whose original Samoan dance set a wild benchmark for senior nights to come, graduate in the spring. They have that one last regret, but also amazing memories.

"It’s always a blessing that they (the fans) are able to come out and support us no matter the outcome," Danielson said. "It was amazing to play. It wasn’t like we had to play extra just to make sure they are happy. We know that they were with us every step of the way.

"It’s hard to swallow these kinds of games, especially when it’s only the sweet 16. It’s something you want to save and play in front of this kind of crowd in the final four."

Hewitt could have that opportunity. The redshirt junior also graduates in the spring. She said she will be back to play her final year while doing post-graduate work, but that could change.

Punahou’s Tai Manu-Olevao, a 6-foot hitter, committed to UH last fall. Shoji says there is one scholarship remaining, which he plans to hold until he knows what is available in terms of freshmen and transfers.

One possibility is Falyn Fonoimoana, the 2010 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year while at USC. She is enrolled at UH but not yet eligible.

Those who return will face UCLA, Cal and Stanford in the preseason, and might look very different.

Emily Hartong — an all-conference middle her first two seasons —will probably join Croson on the left. Any of the talented middles could move to the right.

Shoji hopes all the returnees will be "one year better," as these players were. But he knows there will be a glaring difference.

"Kanani is not replaceable," the coach says flatly. "There’s not a player in the nation like her, so we won’t be as good passing or defensively. We’ve got to make up in other areas."

He does have one idea.

"I’m going to ask her," Shoji jokes, "how good is your sister?"